Only 5 more days before stockings are stuffed and gifts under the tree are ready to be opened! 🎁🎄If you’re anything like us, you haven’t even finished your holiday shopping, much less wrapped presents yet. Not to worry, you still have 120 hours to work with! When the time comes to sit down and pound out the Christmas wrapping, keep an eye on any pets in the house… all those ribbons and bows look like fun toys to a dog or cat, but can be extremely dangerous if swallowed.
Every holiday season, emergency veterinary clinics admit too many dogs and cats with “linear foreign bodies.” A linear foreign body happens when a pet swallows a long, string-like object which then becomes stuck in the stomach and intestines. The pet is unable to pass the object, and over time the linear foreign body can slowly cut its way through intestinal tract tissue. As you can imagine, this would be extremely painful and dangerous. Removal of a linear foreign body requires abdominal surgery.
The most common causes of linear foreign bodies during the Christmas season include ribbons and tinsel. Items like yarn and shoe laces can also serve as linear foreign bodies if swallowed. Signs that a pet has consumed a string-like object and developed a linear foreign body include:
❄️vomiting
❄️diarrhea
❄️lethargy
❄️abdominal pain
❄️fever
If you think your pet has swallowed an object and is unable to pass it, bring your pet into the nearest veterinary clinic or animal emergency clinic. X-rays will most likely be necessary to determine the cause of your pet’s symptoms.
Check back on Monday for some facts about potpourri and candles, and how they can be hazardous to pets.
Every holiday season, emergency veterinary clinics admit too many dogs and cats with “linear foreign bodies.” A linear foreign body happens when a pet swallows a long, string-like object which then becomes stuck in the stomach and intestines. The pet is unable to pass the object, and over time the linear foreign body can slowly cut its way through intestinal tract tissue. As you can imagine, this would be extremely painful and dangerous. Removal of a linear foreign body requires abdominal surgery.
The most common causes of linear foreign bodies during the Christmas season include ribbons and tinsel. Items like yarn and shoe laces can also serve as linear foreign bodies if swallowed. Signs that a pet has consumed a string-like object and developed a linear foreign body include:
❄️vomiting
❄️diarrhea
❄️lethargy
❄️abdominal pain
❄️fever
If you think your pet has swallowed an object and is unable to pass it, bring your pet into the nearest veterinary clinic or animal emergency clinic. X-rays will most likely be necessary to determine the cause of your pet’s symptoms.
Check back on Monday for some facts about potpourri and candles, and how they can be hazardous to pets.
